Little Finland hosts Laskiainen Festival

By TOM STANKARD

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KIMBALL, Wis. - Folks gathered at Little Finland for a traditional mid-winter Laskiainen, or sliding day, on a snowy Sunday afternoon.

A custom in Finland, the sliding festival is filled with winter activities and food.

On the menu was pea soup with "a lot of ham" and Kropsus. A Kropsu is a Finnish pancake baked in the oven and served with jellies or syrup. Buttermilk, coffee and Finnish bread were also served.

"Pea soup and pancakes are not high on the hog," said Steven Schurtter, an event volunteer.

"But when you have it, dog gone it's good."

More than 30 people came to socialize and enjoy "delicious food." Schurtter said ethnic festivals, like Laskiainen, are "so much fun."

The day before the festival, Schurtter said he was "out here peeling carrots."

Schurtter said mainly older folks show up for the event, but once in a while younger people and families come to use the trails behind the main building.

While people attended the festival, they could use the trails behind the main building. The trails can be used for skiing, snowshoeing or sledding.

Proceeds raised during the festival will go towards "trying to keep the facility up, "Schurtter said.

Little Finaland features the main building, a museum, a gift shop, a pavilion and the trails.

Outside the main building, there was a "kicksled" on display during the festival.

A kicksled, or "spark," is a small sled consisting of a chair mounted on a pair of flexible runners, which extend backward. The sled is propelled by kicking, "sparke," the ground by foot. It is designed to be used on hard, slippery surfaces like ice or packed snow.

The kicksled is in common use in Norway, Sweden and Finland, especially where roads are not sanded or salted.